Christie Would Become Instant No. 1 in Race, Face Challenges

By Julie Hirschfeld Davis -
Oct 3, 2011

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie --
on the brink of deciding whether to run for president as
Republicans shower him with entreaties to do so -- could
catapult to the front of an unsettled party field, strategists
say, even as he would face a difficult road to nomination.

For Republicans yearning for a fresh face, Christie, 49
-- a government budget-slasher who has taken on labor unions and
called some of his critics ``crazies'' -- would appear ideal.

He could eclipse former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney,
the frontrunner in national polls, crowding his space as the
candidate with experience governing a Democratic state, while
playing to an average-guy image. Christie would also undermine
Texas Governor Rick Perry’s status in the race as a sitting
governor with a successful record. And his unconventional style
and unorthodox positions could upstage former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, who has banked his campaign on a win in New Hampshire.

“If he runs, he will be a cannonball that completely
reshapes the race,” said Republican strategist Mark McKinnon,
who advised former President George W. Bush. Christie “will be
frontrunner overnight.”

Still, it’s a candidacy that could peak after the first day.
Christie’s positions on issues such as illegal immigrants, civil
unions for same-sex couples and gun-owners’ rights could offend
important members of the Republican coalition -- including
evangelicals and the gun lobby. Christie himself has said he
doesn’t feel prepared to seek the presidency, and the financial
and organizational challenges posed by a late entry could be
formidable enough to stop him.

‘McCain-ish’ Figure

“It’s one thing being a prospective candidate, and it’s
another being in the arena,” said Republican strategist Alex Castellanos. “For Christie, the first look, he’ll be very
attractive, but then once things settle down, there’s a lot of
Republicans who will not be comfortable with him.”

“There’s room for a truth-teller in the Republican field
right now -- a McCain-ish kind of a figure,” Castellanos said.
“But those candidates always have a tough time once they
actually become candidates.”

Arizona Senator John McCain, the 2008 Republican nominee
for president, said yesterday that while he would wish Christie
luck if he chose to run, he’d also counsel caution.

“The swimming pool looks a lot better until you jump right
in,” McCain said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” program. “The
water may not be quite as warm as you think.”

The Inner Desire

Christie has publicly indicated he has no desire to make
the leap, repeatedly saying this year that he is not considering
a run and even that he doesn’t believe he’s ready to be
president. He told a supporter who begged him to run following a
Sept. 27 speech at the Reagan library in California that the
encouragement of others to run is “not a reason for me to do it.
That reason has to reside inside me.”

Neil Newhouse, Romney’s campaign pollster, said that for
Christie, “It’s not where he starts off, but where he is after
a month. And I’ve got to tell you, nobody has a clue.”

“It’s his style and personality that people are attracted
to,” Newhouse said, “and whether that has staying power over
the course of a long presidential primary is hard to say.”

Christie didn’t respond to questions from the media on a
possible presidential bid yesterday after a military awards
ceremony in Trenton. The governor, who has said he would “have
to commit suicide” to convince people he won’t run in 2012, is
reconsidering and may decide within a few days, according to a
Republican donor who asked not to be identified.

Time Running Out

He doesn’t have long to decide, with the first filing
deadlines for presidential primaries looming in just weeks and
the nominating calendar becoming increasingly front-loaded
following Florida’s recent decision to schedule its balloting
for Jan. 31, more than a month earlier than expected.

Christie would have to instantly devise a far-reaching
campaign strategy in key states, erect organizations around the
country and begin raising competitive campaign cash. Some
operatives say it’s too late for him to make up for lost time.

“It’s like building a multimillion-dollar business in a
couple of weeks and having it start delivering products to
consumers without a hitch,” Castellanos said. “That is nearly
impossible.”

Bonds Downgraded

Christie took office last year after defeating incumbent
Democrat Jon Corzine amid voter dissatisfaction over the highest
property taxes in the U.S. and a sluggish economy. He cut $10
billion in projected spending on schools, pensions and towns and
required public workers to pay more for health care.

The state’s bond ratings have been downgraded. Fitch
Ratings on Aug. 18 lowered the credit rating on New Jersey’s
general-obligation bonds by one step to AA-, the fourth-highest
grade, citing “mounting budgetary pressure” from pension and
employee-benefit deficits. Moody’s Investors Service lowered it
by one level, to Aa3, in April; Standard & Poor’s reduced its
grade to AA- in February -- both fourth-highest.

Beyond the logistical challenges he would face in running
for president, there are substantive ones. Christie holds some
positions and made statements that depart from party orthodoxy.

In 2008, while serving as U.S. attorney, he said, “Being
in this country without proper documentation is not a crime,” a
statement at odds with Republican primary voters’ opposition to
illegal immigration and support for cracking down on foreigners
who entered the U.S. without authorization. His office clarified
his words with a statement that Christie “did not say, nor did
he mean, that entering this country through any means other than
the appropriate immigration channels is a legal act.”

‘Pathway to Citizenship’

More recently, Christie has said the U.S. government should
secure the border and create a “pathway to citizenship” for
illegal immigrants -- something many Republicans oppose and
consider amnesty for lawbreakers.

Still, he said during his Sept. 27 appearance that he
opposes a policy that Perry supported allowing certain children
of illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition rates at state
universities. He criticized the Texas governor for having said
anyone who would oppose the measure doesn’t “have a heart.”

“Let me be very clear: From my perspective, that is not a
heartless position; that is a commonsense position,” he said.

Christie also supports the federal ban on assault weapons.
And asked his position this year on a law that would allow New
Jersey residents to legally carry a concealed weapon, he
wouldn’t state his view. He said it would never reach a vote in
the state’s Democratic-led legislature, and, “I’m not going to
bang my head against the wall on” such issues.

Social Issues

He opposes gay marriage yet supports New Jersey’s civil
union law. He told CNN’s Piers Morgan that while he is Catholic
and his church believes homosexuality is a sin, he doesn’t share
the view. “I think if someone is born that way, it’s very
difficult to say then that that’s a sin.”

The New Jersey governor in August defended his pick of a
Muslim for a state judgeship, saying critics of Sohail Mohammed,
who represented suspects after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks,
were “ignorant” and “crazies.”

Some political columnists and bloggers accused Mohammed of
having links to terrorism and said he’d be more likely to follow
Shariah law, religious standards based on the Koran, instead of
state or federal statutes.

“This Shariah law business is crap,” Christie said.
“It’s just crazy, and I’m tired of dealing with the crazies.”

Republican strategists say these and other statements could
haunt Christie in the Republican primaries.

“Once you get down in the mud with all the other farm
animals it’s hard to tell the animals apart,” Castellanos said.